Apparatus, method and recording medium for controlling user interface using input image

ABSTRACT

A method of controlling a user interface using an input image is provided. The method includes storing operation executing information of each of one or more gesture forms according to each of a plurality of functions, detecting a gesture form from the input image, and identifying the operation executing information mapped on the detected gesture form to execute an operation according to a function which is currently operated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of prior application Ser.No. 15/896,751 filed on Feb. 14, 2018, which was a continuationapplication of prior application Ser. No. 14/478,399, filed on Sep. 5,2014, which has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,898,090 on Feb. 20, 2018 andwas based on claimed priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Koreanpatent application number 10-2013-0108697, filed on Sep. 10, 2013, inthe Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, a method and a recordingmedium for controlling a user interface of an electronic device using aninput image.

BACKGROUND

Currently, as an electronic device such as a computer, a laptopcomputer, a tablet PC, a smart phone, a portable phone, and the like hasa camera function, it is possible to conveniently take a picture of animage anywhere. Further, with the development of electronictechnologies, the electronic device has various functions and providesvarious user interfaces for a user's convenience. The user interfaceshave advantages in that a user is allowed to easily operate theelectronic device so as to rapidly and intuitively transmit information.Currently, accordingly, technologies related to the user interfaces havebeen actively developed so that the user can conveniently use anelectronic device.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentdisclosure is to provide an apparatus, a method and a recording mediumfor controlling a user interface by using an input image in for order auser to execute various operations of an electronic device more easily.That is, when a user makes a certain gesture during use of theelectronic device, the electronic device is allowed to recognize thecertain gesture and execute an operation corresponding to the gesture.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofcontrolling a user interface using an input image is provided. Themethod includes storing operation executing information of each of oneor more gesture forms according to each of a plurality of functions,detecting a gesture form from the input image, and identifying theoperation executing information mapped on the detected gesture formaccording to a function which currently operates.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anapparatus for controlling a user interface using an input image isprovided. The apparatus includes an image receiving unit configured toreceive an input of an image, a storage unit, and a controllerconfigured to enable the storage unit to store operation executinginformation of each of one or more gesture forms according to each of aplurality of functions, detect the gesture form from an image inputthrough the image receiving unit, and identify and execute the operationexecuting information mapped on the detected gesture form according to afunction which is currently operated.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present disclosure, astorage medium for controlling a user interface using an input image isprovided. The storage medium includes an image receiving unit configuredto receive an input of an image, a storage unit, and programs whichoperate a controller for enabling the storage unit to store operationexecuting information of each of one or more gesture forms according toeach of a plurality of functions, detecting a gesture form from an imageinput through the image receiving unit, and identifying and executingthe operation executing information mapped on the detected gesture formaccording to a function which is currently operated.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present disclosure amethod of modifying an input image is provided. The method of modifyingan input image includes receiving a gesture form via an image receivingunit, matching the gesture form to at least one of a plurality of storedgesture forms; and applying an object associated with the matchedgesture form to the input image and displaying the input image with theapplied object.

As described above, by using the apparatus, method and recording mediumfor controlling the user interface using an input image of the presentdisclosure, the user is allowed to easily operate the user interface, soas to execute various operations of the electronic device. That is, whenthe user makes a certain gesture while using the electronic device, theelectronic device recognizes the certain gesture through an image inputunit so that an operation corresponding to the certain gesture isexecuted.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device forcontrolling a user interface using an input image according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to afirst embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are views illustrating various gestures used forcontrolling a user interface using an image which is obtained by acamera according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of detecting a gesture fromobtained images during an operation of controlling a user interfaceusing an obtained image through a camera according to the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 3 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to asecond embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D are views illustrating various gestures andmetadata corresponding to each gesture for controlling the userinterface using the image obtained through the camera according to thesecond embodiment shown in FIG. 6 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to athird embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views illustrating an operation of controlling theuser interface using an image which is obtained by a camera according tothe third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to afourth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are views illustrating an operation of controlling auser interface using an image which is obtained by a camera according tothe fourth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to afifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C, and 13D are views illustrating various pointinggestures used for controlling a user interface using an image which isobtained by a camera according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 14A, 14B, 14C, and 14D are views illustrating an operation ofcontrolling a user interface using an image which is obtained by acamera according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to asixth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to thesixth embodiment of the present disclosure, in which a control operationis applied to an electronic device;

FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C are views illustrating an operation ofcontrolling a user interface using an image which is obtained by acamera according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling the userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to aseventh embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a first view illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to theseventh embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 20 is a second view illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to theseventh embodiment of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functionsand constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device forcontrolling a user interface using an input image according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device 100 includes an image inputunit 120, a storage unit 130, an input/output module 140, acommunication module 150, a display controller 160, a display unit 170and a controller 110. The storage unit 130 includes a gesture formdatabase 132, and the controller 110 includes an image processing module112 and a function controlling module 114. Hereinafter, a touch screencontroller and a touch screen will be described as examples of thedisplay controller 160 and the display unit 170.

The image input unit 120 receives an input of various images includingvideos and stationary images. The image input unit 120 includes at leastone of a first camera 122 and a second camera 124. Further, an imageobtained through the at least one camera will be described as an exampleof an image input through the image input unit 120.

The image input unit 120 includes at least one of the first camera 122and the second camera 124, and performs functions of a general digitalcamera, which include taking stationary images or videos, under acontrol of the controller 110. Further, the image input unit 120operates the first camera 122 or the second camera 124 so as to carryout a function of taking images through an image sensor (not shown)included in the corresponding camera.

The input/output module 140 includes at least one of plural buttons (notshown), a microphone (not shown), a speaker (not shown), a vibrationmotor (not shown), a connector (not shown), and a keypad (not shown).

The buttons 161 may be disposed on a front surface, a side surface or arear surface of a housing of the electronic device 100, and may includean electric power/lock button (not shown), a volume control button (notshown), a menu button, a home button, and a back button.

The microphone (not shown) receives an input of voice or sound togenerate electric signals under a control of the controller 110.

The speaker (not shown) is capable of outputting sound which correspondsto various signals, i.e. radio signals or photographing sound, of thecommunication module 150 or the image input unit 120, outside of theelectronic device 100 under a control of the controller 110. The speaker(not shown) is capable of outputting sounds, i.e. a button operationsound or a ringtone corresponding to a voice call, corresponding tofunctions which the electronic device 100 performs. One or more speakers(not shown) are arranged at a suitable position or positions on thehousing of the electronic device 100.

The vibration motor (not shown) is capable of converting electricsignals into mechanical vibrations under a control of the controller110. For example, the electronic device 100 which stays in a vibrationmode operates the vibration motor (not shown) when receiving a voicecall from another device (not shown). One or more vibration motors (notshown) may be arranged in the housing of the electronic device 100. Thevibration motor (not shown) is capable of operating in response to atouch operation of a user who touches the touch screen 170, and acontinuous movement of a touch on the touch screen 170.

The connector (not shown) may be used as an interface to connect theelectronic device 100 to an external device (not shown) or electricpower source (not shown). The electronic device 100 transmits data whichis stored in the storage unit 130 of the electronic device 100, to theexternal device (not shown) through a wired cable connected to theconnector (not shown), or receives data from the external device (notshown), under a control of the controller 110. Further, the electronicdevice 100 is supplied with electric power from the electric powersource (not shown) through a wired cable connected to the connector (notshown), or is capable of charging a battery (not shown) by using theelectric power source.

The keypad (not shown) receives a key input of a user in order tocontrol the electronic device 100. The keypad (not shown) includes aphysical keypad (not shown) arranged on the electronic device 100 or avirtual keypad (not shown) displayed on the touch screen 170. Thephysical keypad (not shown) arranged on the electronic device 100 may beexcluded according to the performance or structure of the electronicdevice 100.

The communication module 150 may include a mobile communication module(not shown), a wireless LAN module (not shown), and a short-rangecommunication module (not shown).

The mobile communication module (not shown) allows the electronic device100 to be in contact with the external terminal through a mobilecommunication system by using one or more antennas (not shown) under acontrol of the controller 110. The mobile communication module (notshown) transmits and receives radio signals for a voice call, a videocall, a Short Message Service (SMS), or a Multimedia Message Service(MMS) to/from a portable phone (not shown), a smart phone (not shown), atablet PC, or other devices (not shown) which have telephone numbersinput into the electronic device 100.

The wireless LAN module (not shown) may be connected to the Internet ata location in which the wireless Access Point (AP, not shown) isinstalled, under a control of the controller 110. The wireless LANmodule (not shown) supports the wireless LAN provision, i.e.IEEE802.11x, of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE). The short-range communication module (not shown) may include aBluetooth communication module and the like, and allows the electronicdevice 100 to wirelessly carry out the short-range communication withanother electronic device, under a control of the controller 210.

The electronic device 100 may include at least one of the mobilecommunication module (not shown), the wireless LAN module (not shown)and the short-range communication module (not shown) as thecommunication module 150 according to the performance thereof. Forexample, the communication module 150 may include a combination of themobile communication module (not shown), the wireless LAN module (notshown) and the short-range communication module (not shown) according tothe performance of the electronic device 100.

The touch screen 170 receives an operation of a user, and displays anexecuted application program, an operation state, and a menu state. Thetouch screen 170 provides a user with a User Interface (UI)corresponding to various services, i.e. a voice call, a datatransmission, broadcasting, and photographing. The touch screen 170 cantransmit analog signals, which correspond to at least one touch inputinto the UI, to the touch screen controller 160. The touch screen 170can receive at least one touch through a touchable input means, i.e. afinger or an electronic pen such as a stylus pen. Further, the touchscreen 170 may receive a continuous movement of at least one touch amongthe touches. The touch screen 170 can transmit analog signals, whichcorrespond to the continuous movement of the input touch, to the touchscreen controller 160.

Further, the touch screen 170 may be implemented, for example by aresistive type, a capacitive type, an Electro Magnetic Resonance (EMR)type, an infrared type, or an acoustic wave type of touch screen.

Furthermore, a touch of the present disclosure is not limited to adirect contact of a finger or electronic pen with the touch screen 170,and may include a non-contact touch. A detectable distance from thetouch screen 170 is changeable according to a performance or a structureof the electronic device 100, and especially the touch screen 170 isconfigured to distinctively output a touch event by a contact of thefinger or the electronic pen and the non-contact touch input. In otherwords, the touch screen 170 recognizes values, i.e. electric currentvalues, of the touch event and the hovering event in order todistinguish the hovering event from the touch event. In addition, it ispreferred that the touch screen 170 distinctively outputs a recognizedvalue, i.e. an electric current value, depending on a distance betweenthe touch screen 170 and a space in which the hovering event isgenerated.

On the other hand, the touch screen controller 160 converts analogsignals received from the touch screen 170 into digital signals, i.e. Xand Y coordinates, and transmits the digital signals to the controller110. The controller 110 is capable of controlling the touch screen 170by using the digital signals received from the touch screen controller160. For example, the controller 110 allows a user to select or executea shortcut icon (not shown) displayed on the touch screen 170 inresponse to the touch event or the hovering event. Further, the touchscreen controller 160 may be included in the controller 110.

The touch screen controller 160 detects a value, i.e. an electriccurrent value, output through the touch screen 170 and identifies adistance between the touch screen 170 and the space in which thehovering event is generated. Then, the touch screen controller 160converts a value of the identified distance into a digital signal, i.e.a Z coordinate, and provides the controller 110 with the digital signal.

Furthermore, the touch screen 170 may include at least two touch screenpanels capable of recognizing the touch and proximity of the finger andthe electronic pen respectively, so as to simultaneously receive inputsof the finger touch and the input of the electronic pen. The at leasttwo touch screen panels provide different output values to the touchscreen controller 160, and the touch screen controller 160 maydifferently recognize values input from the at least two touch screenpanels so as to distinguish whether the input of the respective touchscreens 170 is generated by a finger touch or an input of the electronicpen.

The storage unit 130 stores signals or data which are input/output incorrespondence to operations of the image input unit 120, theinput/output module 140, the communication module 150, and the touchscreen 170, under a control of the controller 110. The storage unit 130may store a control program and an application for controlling theelectronic device 100 or the controller 110.

The term “storage unit” refers to the storage unit 130, the ROM (notshown) and the RAM (not shown) in the controller 110, or a memory card(not shown), i.e. a SD card, and a memory stick, inserted in theelectronic device 100. The storage unit may include a non-volatilememory, a volatile memory, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and a Solid StateDrive (SSD).

Further, the storage unit 130 may include the gesture form database 132according to the feature of the present disclosure. The gesture formdatabase 132 has at least one predetermined gesture form or at least onegesture form input by the user stored therein. Furthermore, the storageunit 130 stores an accumulated recognition log data constituting thegesture form database, and an operation executing information mapped oneach gesture form. The operation executing information mapped on eachgesture form may be distinguished and stored according to each functionof the electronic device 100 described later.

The controller 110 may include a CPU (not shown), a ROM (not shown) inwhich a control program for a control of the electronic device 100 isstored, and a RAM (not shown) which stores signals or data input fromoutside of the electronic device 100, or is used as a storage region foroperations performed by the electronic device 100. The CPU (not shown)may include a single core CPU and a multiple core CPU such as a dualcore CPU, a triple core CPU and a quad core CPU. The CPU (not shown),the ROM (not shown) and the RAM (not shown) are connected to one anotherthrough an internal bus.

The controller 110 controls the image input unit 120, the storage unit130, the input/output module 140, the communication module 150, thetouch screen controller 160, and the touch screen 170.

Further, the controller 110 may include an image processing module 112and a function controlling module 114 according to the feature of thepresent disclosure. The image processing module 112 extracts a contourof an image received from the image input unit 120 in order to recognizea gesture form, and detects the gesture form. The function controllingmodule 114 identifies operation executing information mapped on thedetected gesture form and executes an operation according to a functionwhich is currently operated based on the detected gesture form. Further,the function controlling module 114 enables a suitable operation to beexecuted in correspondence to a condition element, i.e. function, of theelectronic device which is currently operated, by using an index valueobtained from the gesture form DB 132. For example, with respect toidentical gesture forms which are detected during the executions of twodifferent applications respectively, respective operations(corresponding to gesture forms) can be executed according to contextdata of an application.

Further, the controller 110 controls operations according to acombination of the image processing module 112 and the image processingmodule 112 based on the performance of the electronic device 100.Accordingly, the controller 110 detects a gesture form from an imagewhich is obtained through the image input unit 120, and identifiesoperation executing information mapped on the detected gesture formaccording to the currently operated function so as to enable anoperation to be executed. At this time, the controller 110 storesoperation executing information corresponding to each of one or moregesture forms into the gesture form DB 132, i.e. the storage unit 130,according to each of functions.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an operation of controlling the userinterface using an image which is obtained through a camera according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the electronic device 100 to which the operationof the present disclosure is applied, at least one camera 122 or 124equipped to the electronic device 100 acquires images in real-time, andanalyzes the acquired image. Further, in the electronic device 100 whichis set to apply the operation of the present disclosure, the operationexecuting information corresponding to each of one or more gesture formsis stored according to each function. Furthermore, according to thesetting of the user, the operation execution information correspondingto each of one or more gesture forms may be stored according to eachform. The functions may be various according to the performance of theelectronic device 100 and include applications, locking screens,background screens and the like. The gesture form may be variousaccording to a form of a part or whole of a human body and include agesture with a hand and a gesture with a foot. Further, the operationexecuting information may be various operations of the electronic device100 such as a display of a visible effect, conversion of a screen, apause, a termination of a screen and the like. In the case where a usermakes a certain gesture shown in FIG. 2 while using the electronicdevice 100 under a setting condition described above, the electronicdevice 100 obtains an image including the certain gesture and detectsthe certain gesture form from the obtained image. Then, it is possibleto identify the operation executing information mapped on the detectedgesture form so as to execute the operation.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of controlling the userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to afirst embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, in operation 210, an image is obtained through thecamera. In operation 230, a gesture image is detected from the obtainedimage. At this time, the gesture form may be detected from the gestureswith a hand as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, and in addition various gestureforms may be obtained depending on the various gestures.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are views illustrating various gestures used forcontrolling a user interface using an image which is obtained by acamera according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

An operation of detecting the gesture form from the image obtained inoperation 230 will be described with reference to FIG. 5, below.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of detecting a gesture fromobtained images during an operation of controlling a user interfaceusing the obtained image through the camera according to the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 3 of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, in operation 2300 a contour is extracted from theobtained image. In operation 2320, it is determined whether theextracted contour has a form matched with at least one predeterminedgesture form. In operation 2320, when it is determined that theextracted contour has the form matched with the at least onepredetermined gesture form (‘YES’), operation 2340 is carried out. Tothe contrary, in operation 2320, when it is determined that theextracted contour has no form matched with the at least onepredetermined gesture form (‘NO’), the operation of the presentdisclosure is finished via connector (A). In operation 2340, the matchedform is recognized as the gesture form. In operation 250, the operationexecuting information mapped on the detected gesture is identifiedaccording to the function carried out currently. For example, assumingthat a first gesture form is detected during the execution of the firstapplication and the first gesture form is also detected during theexecution of the second application, an operation executed by the firstapplication may be different from an operation executed by the secondapplication according to the operation executing information differentlystored to correspond to identical gesture forms of each application. Inoperation 270, an operation is executed according to the identifiedoperation executing information.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to asecond embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6, in operation 310, an image is photographed throughthe camera. In operation 330, it is determined whether the photographedimage corresponds to a predetermined gesture form. Metadata, i e nameand the like, is allocated to each of the predetermined gesture forms.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D are views illustrating various gestures andmetadata corresponding to each gesture for controlling a user interfaceusing the image obtained through the camera according to a secondembodiment shown in FIG. 6 of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 7A to 7D, the names may be allocated to the gestureforms respectively. For example, a name ‘Oh!’ 701 may be allocated tothe gesture form shown in FIG. 7A, a name ‘Hi-Five’ 702 may be allocatedto the gesture form shown in FIG. 7B, a name ‘peace’ 703 may beallocated to the gesture form shown in FIG. 7C, and a name ‘clip’ 704may be allocated to the gesture form shown in FIG. 7D. These may be setin manufacturing of the electronic device 100, and may be set such thata user who uses the electronic device 100 inputs favorite hand gesturesand designates separate names to the hand gestures. If it is determinedthat an image taken in operation 330 has a predetermined gesture form(‘YES’), operation 350 is carried out. If it is determined that theimage taken in operation 330 has no predetermined gesture form (‘NO’),the operation of the present disclosure is completed. In operation 350,a gesture image is detected from the taken image. It is determinedwhether there are metadata corresponding to the gesture form detected inoperation 370. If it is determined that there are metadata correspondingto the gesture form detected (‘YES’), in operation 370, operation 390 isperformed. To the contrary, if it is determined that there is nometadata corresponding to the gesture form detected (‘NO’) in operation370, the operation of the present disclosure is finished.

According to the operation of the second embodiment, if one gesture formof the predetermined gesture forms is detected from an image or a videotaken through the camera, it is possible to tag the metadata allocatedto the detected gesture form to the corresponding image. According tothe operation of the second embodiment of the present disclosure, themetadata information such as a name designated by a tag can be utilizedas a useful reference when a user separately classifies or searches fordesired items from a whole image or video list. Further, in the case ofuploading the image or video file to a personal cloud storage or asocial network, it is possible to provide continuous experiencesregardless of sorts of the electronic devices by maintaining tagproperty information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to athird embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8, in operation 410, an image is obtained through thecamera. In operation 430, it is determined whether the obtained imagehas a predetermined gesture form. Various visible effects are designatedto the predetermined gesture forms respectively, according to settingssuch as a color change, a display of a specific image, and the like.Further, the visible effects can be set by an operation of the user.Furthermore, a type, a color, a shape and the like of the visibleeffects can be changed according to the operation of the user, i.e. avoice instruction and the like. If it is determined that an image takenin operation 430 has a predetermined gesture form (‘YES’), operation 450is carried out. If it is determined that the image taken in operation430 has no predetermined gesture form (‘NO’), the operation of thepresent disclosure is finished. In operation 450, a gesture form isdetected from the obtained image. In operation 470, it is determinedwhether there is a visible effect corresponding to the detected gestureform. In operation 470, if it is determined that there are the visibleeffect corresponding to the detected gesture form (‘YES’), operation 490is performed. To the contrary, if it is determined that there is novisible effect corresponding to the detected gesture form (‘NO’), inoperation 470, the operation of the present disclosure is finished.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views illustrating an operation of controlling auser interface using an image which is obtained by a camera according tothe third embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, in the case that the gesture form as shownin FIG. 9A is set to display a visible effect of a heart shape, when thegesture form shown in FIG. 9A is detected from an image obtained throughthe camera, the visible effect of the heart shape corresponding to theobtained image shown in FIG. 9B can be displayed at a predeterminedposition. At this time, the displayed visible effect can be changed in aposition according to the operation of the user, i.e. an operation oftouching and dragging the visible effect, inputting a voice instruction,and the like. After a predetermined time lapses, or according to theoperation of the user, the display of the visible effect may be stopped.

That is, when one gesture form among the predetermined gesture forms isdetected from the image obtained through the camera according to theoperation of the third embodiment, the visible effect corresponding tothe gesture form detected from the corresponding image can be displayedin real time.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to thesecond embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 10, in operation 510, an image is obtained through thecamera. In operation 520, it is determined whether the obtained imagehas a predetermined gesture form. At this time, visible effects may bedesignated to the predetermined gesture forms respectively, and aposition at which the visible effect is displayed may be a certainportion on a face corresponding to each visible effect in connectionwith a face recognizing function. Further, the visible effect and theposition at which the visible effect is displayed can be set or changedaccording to the operation of the user. In operation 520, if it isdetermined that the obtained image has a predetermined gesture form(‘YES’), operation 530 is carried out. To the contrary, in operation 520if it is determined that the obtained image has no predetermined gestureform (‘NO’), the operation of the present disclosure is finished. Inoperation 530, a gesture form is detected from the obtained image. Inoperation 540, the face recognizing function is carried out. Inoperation 550, it is identified whether the face recognition is asuccess. In operation 550, if it is determined that the face recognitionis a success (‘YES’), operation 560 is performed. To the contrary, inoperation 550, if it is determined that the face recognition is not asuccess (‘NO’), operation 580 is carried out. In operation 580, avisible effect corresponding to the gesture form is identified. Inoperation 590, the visible effect is displayed in a predetermined regionon the obtained image. In operation 560, a face portion is detected fromthe obtained image. In operation 570 after 560, the predeterminedvisible effect is displayed on the detected face portion correspondingto the predetermined face portion in correspondence to the detectedgesture form.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are views illustrating an operation of controlling auser interface using an image which is obtained by a camera according toa fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B, in the case where a position at which avisible effect corresponding to the detected gesture form is sunglassesand a position at which a visible effect corresponding to the detectedgesture form is an eye portion, according to the detected gesture formand the detected face portion as shown in FIG. 11A, a visible effectsuch as sunglasses is displayed on the eyes, according to the operationof the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. Then, although agesture form is not detected from the image obtained through the cameraand the eye portion moves along with a movement of a user, the visibleeffect of the sunglasses may be continuously displayed on the eyeportion when the display of the visible effect is not finished in apredetermined time or by the user. Further, in the state that thevisible effect of the sunglasses is displayed on the eyes of the user,if a photographing of an image is carried out, an image in which thevisible effect of the sunglasses is displayed on the eyes of a personcan be stored on the photographed image.

That is, according to the operation of the third embodiment, when onegesture form among the predetermined gesture forms is detected from theimage obtained through the camera, the visible effect corresponding tothe gesture form detected from the corresponding image can be displayed.Further, a face portion is detected by using the face recognizingfunction, so that the visible effect can be displayed on the detectedface portion.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained through a camera according toa fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12, in operation 610, first, an image is obtainedthrough the camera and displayed on a preview screen. In operation 630,it is determined whether the obtained image has a predetermined pointinggesture form. At this time, execution information for operating anauto-focusing of the camera is stored in the predetermined pointinggesture form. More particularly, the information for executing theauto-focusing operation is stored by a reference of the predeterminedpointing position of the pointing gesture form. At this time, thepointing gesture form may be detected from various hand gestures asshown in FIGS. 13A to 13D, and in addition various pointing gestureforms may be obtained depending on the various pointing gestures.

FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C, and 13D are views illustrating various pointinggestures used for controlling a user interface using an image which isobtained by a camera according to the fifth embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

In operation 630, if it is determined that the obtained image has apredetermined pointing gesture form (‘YES’), operation 650 is carriedout. To the contrary, in operation 630, if it is determined that theobtained image has no predetermined pointing gesture form (‘NO’), theoperation of the present disclosure is finished. In operation 650, apointing gesture image is detected. In operation 670, a predeterminedpointing position of the detected pointing gesture form is detected. Inoperation 690, an auto-focusing operation is carried out by a referenceof the detected pointing position.

FIGS. 14A, 14B, 14C, and 14D are views illustrating an operation ofcontrolling a user interface using an image which is obtained by acamera according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 14A to 14D, in the case that a person obtains apointing gesture by using the camera as shown in FIG. 14A, a pointinggesture form as shown in FIG. 14B is detected depending on an operationaccording to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, and then anauto-focusing operation is carried out around a position which thepointing gesture form indicates as shown in FIG. 14C, i.e. apredetermined position of a pointing gesture. Then, when an imagephotographing mode is executed, an image is photographed and it ispossible to store the image as shown in FIG. 14D.

That is, according to the operation of the fifth embodiment, if thepredetermined pointing gesture form is detected from the obtained imagethrough the camera in a camera function mode, the predetermined pointingposition of the predetermined pointing gesture form is detected and anauto-focusing operation is executed by a reference of the detectedpointing position.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained through a camera according toa fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 15, in operation 710, a video call is connected inorder to execute a video communication. In operation 730, an image isobtained through the camera. In operation 750, it is determined whetherthe obtained image has a predetermined gesture form. Correspondingpieces of the operation executing information are stored in thepredetermined gesture forms, respectively. Further, the operationexecuting information may be set or changed according to the operationof the user. The operation executing information is in various formssuch as a substitution of an image with a photograph, a conversion offront and rear cameras, a recording, a transmission of a visible effect,and the like. If it is determined that an image taken in operation 750has a predetermined gesture form (‘YES’), operation 770 is carried out.To the contrary, if it is determined that the image taken in operation750 has no predetermined gesture form (‘NO’), the operation of thepresent disclosure is finished. In operation 770, the operationexecuting information corresponding to the predetermined gesture form isidentified. In operation 790, an operation is executed according to theidentified operation executing information.

FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C are views illustrating an operation ofcontrolling the user interface using an image which is obtained by acamera according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 17A to 17C, in the case that an image in which aperson makes a gesture is obtained by using the camera as shown in FIG.17A, the gesture form of FIG. 17B is detected depending on an operationaccording to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure, and then anoperation of displaying a visible effect which is operation executinginformation corresponding to the gesture form is executed as shown inFIG. 17C. The displayed visible effect is enabled to be displayed on anelectronic device of a companion in communication with the user'selectronic device 100, as well as the user's electronic device 100.

That is, according to the operation of the sixth embodiment, if onegesture form among the predetermined gesture forms is detected from animage obtained through the camera during an execution of a videocommunication function as shown in FIG. 16, an operation correspondingto the detected gesture form can be executed.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained by a camera according to thesixth embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the controloperation is applied to an electronic device.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of controlling a userinterface using an image which is obtained through a camera according toa seventh embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 18, first, in operation 810, an Augmented Reality (AR)function is executed. According to the execution of the AR function, animage obtained through the camera is displayed on a preview screendifferently from an actual image, as shown in FIG. 19.

FIG. 19 is a first view illustrating an operation of controlling theuser interface using an image which is obtained by a camera according tothe seventh embodiment of the present disclosure.

In operation 830, an image is obtained through the camera, and amodified image of the obtained image is displayed on the preview screenaccording to the execution of the AR. In operation 850, it is determinedwhether the obtained image has a predetermined pointing gesture form.Various pieces of texture information may be designated to thepredetermined pointing gesture forms, respectively. Further, the textureinformation may be set or changed according to the operation of theuser. In operation 850, if it is determined that the obtained image hasthe predetermined pointing gesture form (‘YES’), operation 870 iscarried out. To the contrary, in operation 850, if it is determined thatthe obtained image has no predetermined pointing gesture form (‘NO’),the operation of the present disclosure is finished. In operation 870after 850, a predetermined pointing direction of the pointing gestureform is identified from the obtained image. In operation 880, an objectlocated in the identified pointing direction is detected. At this time,the detection of the object can be executed by using various recognitionfunctions. In operation 890, a predetermined texture corresponding tothe detected pointing gesture form is applied to the detected object.

FIG. 20 is a second view illustrating an operation of controlling theuser interface using an image which is obtained by a camera according tothe seventh embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 20, in the case that an image in which a pointinggesture is made is obtained by using the camera according to theexecution of the AR function as shown in FIG. 20, the pointing gestureform is detected depending on an operation according to the seventhembodiment of the present disclosure, and the texture corresponding tothe pointing gesture form can be applied to an object located in thepredetermined pointing direction of the detected pointing gesture form.

That is, if one pointing gesture form among the predetermined pointinggesture forms is detected from an image obtained from the camera whenthe AR function is executed according to the operation of the seventhembodiment, the object located in the predetermined pointing directionof the detected pointing gesture is detected, and the predeterminedtexture corresponding to the detected pointing gesture form is appliedto the detected object.

As described above, it is possible to achieve an operation ofcontrolling the user interface by using the image obtained through thecamera according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. With theoperations described in the specification, all or some operations aresimultaneously executed in parallel, or some operations are omitted.Furthermore, the operations may include other additional operations.

In addition, the electronic device 100 may store identical operationexecuting information of each gesture form for all functions, and is setto allow the user to store the identical operation executing informationof each gesture form with respect to all functions.

Further, in the state that the visible effect is displayed on an imageobtained through the camera according to the third embodiment, when itis executed to take a photograph of an image according to the operationof the user, the obtained image is taken and an image on which thevisible effect is displayed can be stored.

Further, in the fourth embodiment, although the operation is describedof displaying the predetermined visible effect corresponding to thedetected gesture form on a detected face portion according to theexecution of the face recognition, the predetermined visible effectcorresponding to the detected gesture form may be displayed on thepredetermined portion of a recognized object by applying variousrecognizing functions as well as the face recognition function andrecognizing various objects.

Furthermore, with relation to the AR function of the seventh embodiment,although it is described to apply a texture to only the object locatedin a pointing direction of the pointing gesture form, the texture may beapplied to the whole screen.

In addition, with relation to the AR function of the seventh embodiment,although it is described to apply the pointing gesture form and thepredetermined texture corresponding to the pointing gesture form, it ispossible to provide various gesture forms to the AR function accordingto a user's setting or a setting in a manufacturing of the electronicdevice 100, and also it is possible to apply various operationscorresponding to the gesture form to the AR function.

It will be appreciated that the various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be implemented in a form of hardware, software, acombination of hardware and software. Regardless of being erasable orre-recordable, such an optional software may be stored in a non-volatilestorage device such as a ROM, a memory such as an RAM, a memory chip, amemory device, or an integrated circuit, or a storage medium such as aCD, a DVD, a magnetic disc, or a magnetic tape that is optically orelectromagnetically recordable and readable by a machine, for example, acomputer. It will be appreciated that a memory, which may beincorporated in a portable terminal, may be an example of amachine-readable storage medium which is suitable for storing a programor programs including commands to implement the various embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Therefore, various embodiments of the presentdisclosure provide a program including codes for implementing a systemor method claimed in any claim of the accompanying claims and amachine-readable device for storing such a program. Moreover, such aprogram as described above can be electronically transferred through anarbitrary medium such as a communication signal transferred throughcable or wireless connection, and the present disclosure properlyincludes the things equivalent to that.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling a user interface of anelectronic device, the method comprising: storing operation informationmapped to each of one or more gesture forms and each of a plurality ofapplications; obtain an input image through one or more camera of theelectronic device while a first application is being executed; detectinga gesture form from the input image; identifying a first operationinformation from among the stored operation information that is mappedto the detected gesture form and the first application; and perform anoperation corresponding to the first operation information.
 2. Anelectronic device comprising: one or more cameras; a storage; and atleast one processor configured to: store, in the storage, operationinformation mapped to each of one or more gesture forms and each of aplurality of applications, obtain an input image through the one or morecameras while a first application is being executed, detect a gestureform from the input image, identify first operation information fromamong the stored operation information that is mapped to the detectedgesture form and the first application, and perform an operationcorresponding to the first operation information.
 3. The electronicdevice as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to: extract a contour from the input image when thegesture form is detected from the input image, determine whether theextracted contour has a form matched with the gesture form, anddetermine the matched form as the gesture form and detects the gestureform if it is determined that the extracted contour has the form matchedwith the one or more gesture forms.
 4. The electronic device as claimedin claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured totag a predetermined metadata corresponding to the detected gesture formto the input image when the first operation information mapped on thedetected gesture form is identified and the operation of the firstoperation information is executed.
 5. The electronic device as claimedin claim 2, wherein the first application is a camera application, andwherein the at least one processor is further configured to: detect apredetermined pointing position of a predetermined pointing gesture formfrom the input image if the detected gesture form is the predeterminedpointing gesture form, and execute an auto focusing operation of thecamera function by a reference of the detected pointing position.
 6. Theelectronic device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: a display,wherein a predetermined texture corresponding to the detected gestureform is applied to the input image displayed on a preview screen of thedisplay, when the first operation information mapped on the detectedgesture form is identified and the operation of the first operationinformation is executed.
 7. The electronic device as claimed in claim 2,further comprising: a display, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to: detect at least one object located in a pointingdirection of a pointing gesture form from the input image displayed on apreview screen of the display if the detected gesture form is apredetermined pointing gesture form, and apply a predetermined texturecorresponding to the detected gesture form to the detected object. 8.The electronic device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: adisplay, wherein the at least one processor is further configured todisplay the input image and a predetermined visible effect correspondingto the detected gesture form of the input image on the display, when thefirst operation information mapped on the detected gesture form isidentified and the operation of the first operation information isexecuted.
 9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the atleast one processor is further configured to: apply a face recognitionfunction to the input image so as to detect at least one portion of aface from the input image, and display the predetermined visible effecton the detected face portion corresponding to a predetermined faceportion in correspondence to the detected gesture form.
 10. Theelectronic device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: amicrophone, wherein the at least one processor is further configured tochange at least one of a type, a color or a shape of the visible effectaccording to recognition of a predetermined voice instruction inputthrough the microphone.